Concertgebouw plays American music, without American maestros
NewsThe Amsterdam orchestra has scheduled a January focus on ‘the diversity of American music’.
That’s all very worthy, but not one of the conductors is American. Or of minority extraction.
How diverse is that?
Here’s the schedule:
Wednesday, 12 Jan., 8.15 p.m., Concertgebouw, Main Hall
Thursday, 13 Jan., 8.15 p.m., Concertgebouw, Main Hall
Friday, 14 Jan., 8.15 p.m., Concertgebouw, Main Hall
Concertgebouw Orchestra conducted by Paavo Järvi
With Calogero Palermo, clarinet
American Diversity – music by Wolfe, Copland, Bernstein, Walker and Varèse
Thursday, 13 Jan., 2.00 p.m., Conservatorium van Amsterdam – live stream starting from 3.30
Masterclass for composition students given by Julia Wolfe
Sunday, 16 Jan., 2.00 p.m., NPO Radio 4
Het Zondagmiddagconcert (AVROTROS), including live chamber music
Sunday, 16 Jan., 2.15 p.m. (private)
Workshop for members of the Academy of the Concertgebouw Orchestra given by Julia Wolfe
Wednesday, 19 Jan.
Time TBA, online at concertgebouworkest.nl
Pub quiz in collaboration with the Entrée youth association
Thursday, 20 Jan., 8.15 p.m., Muziekgebouw
Friday, 21 Jan., 8.15 p.m., Concertgebouw, Main Hall
Concertgebouw Orchestra conducted by Susanna Mälkki
With Leila Josefowicz, violin
American Diversity – music by Perry, Adams and Ives
Introduction at 7.15 with Thea Derks
Directly following the concert on 21 Jan. is Meet the Artists, when Artistic Director Ulrike Niehoff speaks with Susanna Mälkki, Leila Josefowicz and a member of the orchestra in the Mirror Hall.
Saturday, 22 Jan., 9.00 p.m., Lil’ Amsterdam (Amstelpassage Central Station Amsterdam)
Club Night
Musicians of the Concertgebouw Orchestra and guest artists
Sunday, 23 Jan., 2.00 p.m., NPO Radio 4
Het Zondagmiddagconcert (AVROTROS), including live chamber music
Sunday, 23 Jan., 2.15 p.m., Concertgebouw, Recital Hall
Close-up: Portrait concert focusing on Perry Hoogendijk, tuba
Musicians of the Concertgebouw Orchestra
Thursday, 27 Jan., 6.30 p.m., Amsterdam Hall (Gabriël Metsustraat 16, Amsterdam)
Preview programme
Musicians of the Concertgebouw Orchestra with Zaïre Krieger (spoken word)
Thursday, 27 Jan., 8.15 p.m., Concertgebouw, Main Hall
Concertgebouw Orchestra conducted by Stéphane Denève
With Kelley O’Connor, mezzo-soprano
American Images – music by Higdon, Lieberson, Newman, Korngold, Herrmann and Williams
Friday, 28 Jan., 9.00 p.m., Concertgebouw, Main Hall
Concertgebouw Orchestra conducted by Stéphane Denève: Essentials
Essentials: film music by Newman, Korngold, Herrmann and Williams
Sunday, 30 Jan., 2.15 p.m., Concertgebouw, Main Hall
See 27 Jan. programme
I don’t understand your problem. Should only Germans conduct German music Russians, Russian music etc.?
should only afro americans be
allowed to play jazz.
What’s the problem here ? Surely it’s a good sign if the conductors aren’t American.
One of the “diverse American” composers is giving a Master Class. I should think that trumps the nationalities of the conductors. But as it happens, one of the concerts is being conducted by Paavo Järvi. I think, given his upbringing and his citizenship of the past 36 years, he might take exception to your observation.
First time I have heard the name Varèse in decades. Of two minds as to whether I want to be hearing it again, though I rather like Amériques.
I’m American, and I play Bach. Should I stop?
The programming puts many American orchestras to shame.
Then again, American orchestras have been programming “European Diversity” for over a century, lol.
Personally, I can’t wait to see a concert of Latin American music conducted by Franz Welser-Möst.
I can just picture him swaying to a stirring bandoneon solo! Bring on the Gardel.
Great but no Barber?
Too “European.”
Those are good conductors; they can do this music justice. Good on the Concertgebouw.
It’s good to see music by American composers getting some attention – too bad it’s rarely at home. But it’s disappointing that the earlier composers are absent. Chadwick, Beach, Converse, even Gottschalk are well worth hearing. Or David Diamond, Sam Barber, Roger Sessions. You want diversity? Find the symphony of Howard Swanson that Dimitri Mitropoulos championed.
Assume you meant Howard Hanson?
Not necessarily. There was a composer named Howard Swanson who was most famous for his songs. But he did compose symphonic works and they were performed by major orchestras, including the NY Philharmonic among others.
No. I was correct. Howard Swanson, Black composer (1907-1978). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i03buGGRrHQ&ab_channel=OpenReel
No, though Hanson is underplayed too. Swanson is this guy:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Swanson
He just has an unfortunately similar name – happens frequently (e.g. Barber and a later composer named Baber.)
No, he means Howard Swanson (1907-1978), a very fine American composer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i03buGGRrHQ
No, I don’t think so.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Swanson
It’s only mid-November, but that headline may rank as the most inane on Slippedisc for 2021. And there’s been plenty of competition.
Leila Josefowicz is American.
She was born in Canada
She’s not conducting.
Surely the diverse refers to the composers? George Walker is black, and several are women.
Howard Swanson was also Black.
Or just maybe the diversity is in the music itself? To explore and celebrate the many and varied contributions to the world of classical music made by Americans over the last century and a half?
I don’t see the problem. I see non-Europeans conducting European repertoire, doing integrals of Beethoven and Mahler Symphonies etc. Imagine a world where Europeans had to be represented to conduct the European repertoire (which is, essentially, most of the core repertoire)!
Would you like the music director of the NYPO, Philadelphia Orchestra, Boston Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Chicago Symphony, or Los Angeles Philharmonic? I can’t say how dumb this comment is? Are you saying you have to have a German conductor for German repertory, or an Austrian conductor for Austrian repertory? Or in the time of COVID, have you considered that actually engaging a conductor from the United States might be impossible because of COVID and travel restrictions, or at least present an unreasonable risk of cancellation near the time of the concert? But this site is like the “National Enquirer.” It is supermarket pulp weekly news at its worst, and has no integrity or authority whatsoever.
I think it’s silly to include Korngold on these programs (as many orchestras do). He really made his name in American film music, yes, but he was born and trained in Europe, and his incredibly Romantic style definitely reflected it. Now, one will have to tell me if they’ve included George Chadwick, or Amy Beach, or Roy Harris, or some of the other lesser-known American composers in their program.
Also, this reminds me of a problem (if it can be called that) in reverse: Sir Simon Rattle has fashioned himself into a bit of a connisseur of American music, yet over the past twenty years, even thirty, here’s barely conducted here at all.